FAIR LAWN

A walk along River Road, the borough's most important commercial district, reveals both the promise and problems of revival in a town surrounded by giant shopping centers and strip malls.

One end is anchored by a massive ShopRite supermarket, flanked by a string of other stores. Not far away are shiny new bank branches, a large store selling high-end jewelry, a new coffee shop, a women's fitness center and food stores, some of them specializing in ethnic cuisine.

But a pedestrian would also pass a boarded-up house, a dingy industrial site and former single-family homes now housing an array of offices.

This is the territory of the River Road Improvement Corp., formed 10 years ago to revitalize local businesses and stimulate economic growth.

Two years after the formation of the RRIC, the one-mile stretch of River Road was designated a "special improvement district," with the authority to tax property owners for the costs of improvements and bringing in new business. The SID taxes add about 6 percent to a property owner's tax bill.

As the RRIC reaches its 10th anniversary, Fair Lawn leaders are considering the establishment of another SID for the section of Broadway between Paterson and Paramus.

Since the River Road district was formed, a number of properties have been redeveloped, and several sites are poised for development in the months ahead. These include an aging building formerly owned by the borough and housing the Old Library Theater. The site was sold in 2003 for $975,000 and plans have been approved for a new building with stores on the street level and apartments above.

Don Smartt, director of the RRIC, says that since the district was formed, property values along River Road have increased by more than $30 million, and that the values will continue to rise as new businesses replace decaying buildings.

With matching grants, the district has also helped business owners improve their signs and has dressed up the

"streetscape" of the district. Smartt helped local officials obtain funds to improve two major intersections and the district has encouraged the town to make zoning changes favorable for new business. Widening of another intersection is also expected to begin soon.

The SID, which has an annual budget of about $116,000, hires workers to maintain the decorative planters and to do extra cleanup work. It also funds special events to draw attention to the district, such as the antique car show held in October and a summer street fair.

Smartt heads a Verona firm called The Community Advocates, which has managed development projects in about 30 communities over the past three decades. In addition to Fair Lawn, which pays his firm $50,000 annually for his services, Smartt also oversees projects in Jersey City, Elizabeth, Verona and Hightstown, and has supervised commercial development in Teaneck, Englewood, Montclair, Fort Lee and other New Jersey communities.

Smartt stresses partnership between local business and government officials. RRIC trustees, who pay from $125 to $1,000 to serve on the board, include residents as well as businesspeople, Fair Lawn's manager and Councilman Steve Weinstein.

Except for some startup funds and a share in developing a new parking lot, no borough money has gone to the RRIC, Smartt said. The borough has helped the district with some legal and other services and has considered some special requests, Mayor David Ganz said.

Despite the many improvements, River Road is still far from being a bustling shopper's mecca. Some businessmen, including Keith Luberger of Fair Lawn Business Machines, say their business is stable but not soaring. Maria Gigis, who owns the Pamper Me Lounge and recently opened a coffee shop, said her business is up, but only slightly.

District activists says the changes will come, but over a longer period.

"The payoff is that there are now very few vacancies along River Road," said Barbara Simon, a Fair Lawn resident who is a member of the RRIC board.

Charlie Wrubel, a trustee who has a business on River Road, called the improvements to the street "dramatic" and praised the "public-private partnership" where business owners and local officials work together on needed changes.

"I think it has really helped the street," said Felix Belferman, who runs B&B International Foods on River Road. "A lot of developers are looking at this area and willing to invest a good bit of money," he said.

Steve Bottner, who owns Fair Lawn Jewelers with his wife, Ellen, says more improvements will bring more walk-in customers to the store he built in 1996. New zoning that allows apartments on the second floor of commercial buildings "should make the district very attractive," Bottner said.

The district has its critics. "It helps landlords more than the business operators," said David Eisenberg, who operates Community Communications, an electronics store. Businesses going before the local zoning or planning boards get some assistance, Eisenberg said, but he doesn't believe the district has helped his store, which has been in existence 30 years.

Another business owner, who did not want to be identified by name, contends the district "promised a lot more than it delivered, especially with regard to parking."

The issue of parking is probably the most contentious one. The district and the town joined forces to buy and demolish two aging homes on George Street and Fair Lawn Avenue and construct a parking lot. The project cost more than $400,000, but some contend the site is not centrally located enough to benefit many River Road businesses.

"To have redevelopment occur, you have to have parking," said David Kondo, a real estate agent who recently joined the RRIC board. There is a "cooperative parking agreement" encouraging the sharing of parking spaces and granting zoning variances for property owners who do. But no one has signed on to the agreement, and many businesses jealously guard the parking spaces near their stores for their own customers. Signs warn that violators will be ticketed or towed.

With the development of several sites about to begin, there could be another burst of activity. Smartt said the district still hasn't done much with the industrial zone on the Passaic River at the north end of River Road. A chemical company on a 13-acre site and an auto-parts manufacturing company have been designated in need of redevelopment. Smartt says he could envision "waterfront residential properties" to bring revenue to the town and attract residents who would shop in River Road stores.

Weinstein, who also is Fair Lawn's deputy mayor, said he believes the improvements on River Road can be a model for the proposed Broadway SID. Smartt is also involved in the preparatory discussions on business in that part of the borough and will probably head the Broadway SID. "Developers are seeing a lot of potential here," Weinstein said. "We need to help them realize it."

E-mail: austin@northjersey.com